By the end of 2024, the very first guidelines on fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) in dogs and cats were finally released. Drawn up by the international Companion Animal FMT Consortium, these guidelines mark an important milestone for veterinary medicine. For the first time, veterinarians can rely on clear, science-based recommendations on how and when to use fecal transplantation to improve the health of pets.
For EuBiome, which has been dedicated for years to the development and promotion of fecal transplantation in companion animals, this is truly wonderful news!
Here’s the link to the full article and, immediately after, two key points:
FMT is safe
FMT is recommended in cases of chronic enteropathy
Screenshot of a page from the article
The Companion Animal FMT Consortium and Its Goal
The guidelines were developed by the Companion Animal FMT Consortium, an international group bringing together 21 experts from 19 veterinary institutions worldwide, including Dr. Fabio Procoli, one of the leading Italian researchers in the field of the gut microbiome.
The Consortium’s goal is to provide practical recommendations for the use of FMT in dogs, based on an evidence-based approach. This ensures that every recommendation is supported by solid and up-to-date data, helping improve both the quality and the safety of the treatment.
In cases where no publications are yet available, the recommendations rely on the experience of the Consortium’s experts and on common sense.
The three main chapters covered are: donor selection and screening; FMT preparation; and clinical applications of FMT and dosing.
In this article, we will summarize the key points of the guidelines, highlighting the most relevant recommendations.
1. Selection of the Ideal Donor
One of the crucial aspects in the guidelines concerns the selection of the stool donor.The main characteristics of an optimal donor are:
An animal over 12 months of age, in good clinical condition (excluding all dogs with chronic gastrointestinal symptoms or those that have shown gastrointestinal signs in the past 4 months).
It is essential that no antibiotics have been administered in the previous six months.
No use of antacids (drugs that alter gastric pH and are known to affect the gut microbiome) in the previous two weeks.
No consumption of raw meat–based diets or treats in the past 30 days.
In addition, donors must undergo screening for infectious diseases (see list directly) and testing of their gut microbiome (DI) every six months to ensure that the donated material is of high quality.
2. Collection and Storage of Fecal Material
The guidelines state that once collected, the fecal material should be processed and administered immediately, or stored (refrigerated at 4 °C) within 2–6 hours after defecation. Timely storage of the material appears to be essential to prevent the loss of beneficial bacteria and to ensure the subsequent effectiveness of the transplant.
Processing of Fecal Material
In general, the material should be homogenized and filtered to remove larger particles (such as grass and hair), then either used immediately or frozen and stored for future use. The material can be lyophilized and administered in oral capsules, or thawed and used via enema.
3. How FMT Is Administered
Fecal transplantation can be administered to dogs in two main ways:
- Oral administration, through capsules containing fecal material
- Rectal administration, through enemas
The most common route, according to the studies published so far, is rectal enema, although there is no evidence that one method is more effective than the other.
Recipient preparation:
The guidelines indicate that no special preparation is required for the recipient, such as fasting or pre-treatment therapies before transplantation. Sedation is generally optional as well, unless required due to the patient’s temperament.
4. When Should FMT Be Considered?
Publications to date have shown that FMT is an effective treatment in cases of:
- Canine parvovirus enteritis
- Acute canine diarrhea
- Chronic enteropathy
FMT should be considered as an adjuvant treatment in chronic intestinal diseases in dogs. In particular, in cases of dysbiosis—an imbalance in the gut microbiome that can contribute to the development of gastrointestinal symptoms and appears to play a key role in many enteropathies.
5. How Safe Is FMT?
The guidelines indicate that, although studies on adverse effects (AEs) in dogs and cats are still limited, the available data—including evidence from human medicine—suggest that FMT is generally safe. The rare side effects reported are mild and not severe. Moreover, the treatment is considered safe even in immunocompromised patients, such as dogs with parvovirus infection or those receiving immunosuppressive therapy (e.g., corticosteroids).
6. Future Perspectives and Guideline Updates
The Companion Animal FMT Consortium is committed to reviewing and updating the recommendations every five years, in order to incorporate new scientific evidence. This will ensure that FMT remains a therapy grounded in up-to-date data and that veterinarians can continue to use the treatment with the highest level of scientific awareness.
Conclusions: A Promising Future for Veterinary Medicine
The new guidelines for fecal transplantation represent an important step forward in veterinary medicine, especially for the treatment of chronic intestinal diseases in dogs. This work highlights the promise of FMT as a therapy and opens up new perspectives for the treatment of complex and chronic diseases.
For EuBiome, these guidelines confirm the importance of continuing research on fecal transplantation and strengthen our commitment to educating and supporting veterinarians in its use. The possibility of applying FMT in a rational, evidence-based way represents an innovative frontier for improving the quality of life of companion animals. In the near future, we expect that more and more veterinary practices will adopt FMT as an adjuvant treatment for patients with chronic enteropathies, contributing to a veterinary medicine that is increasingly advanced and personalized.
Comment:
Many of the recommendations in these guidelines are still based on limited scientific evidence, as research on the use of fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) in dogs is still in its early stages. However, we are confident that scientific progress in this field will be rapid, and at EuBiome we are committed to actively contributing to research and studies on FMT.
We would also like to emphasize that the limited availability of studies on the use of FMT in capsule form is mainly related to European regulations, which do not allow the free production and commercialization of such capsules, thus complicating their application. EuBiome’s lyophilized capsules are used within the framework of the Pet FMT Project, approved by the OPBA of the University of Padua (Prot. no. 369551 of 31/07/2020). At EuBiome, we are committed to strictly adhering to all the recommendations of the guidelines, ensuring maximum transparency in our donor selection and screening procedures, as well as in the preparation and processing of fecal material. We are also dedicated to sharing research findings through participation in conferences, scientific publications, and outreach events.
Sources:
• Winston, Jenessa A. et al. -Clinical Guidelines for Fecal Microbiota Transplantation in Companion Animals
• EuBiome Research Team.
Francesca Brugnoli
She graduated in Veterinary Medicine from the University of Bologna in 2011. After graduation, she completed an internship at the San Marco Veterinary Clinic in Padua, where she later continued as a collaborator in the Internal Medicine and Emergency Department. She then worked for several years in Bologna at the Portoni Rossi Veterinary Hospital, serving as both collaborator and coordinator of the Internal Medicine Department. She currently lives and works between Austria and Italy, where she is head of the Internal Medicine Department at the Vet BZ Veterinary Clinic in Bolzano. She is the author of articles published in national and international journals and provides training and consultancy in Internal Medicine for several clinics in Northern Italy and Austria. Since 2024, she has been collaborating with EuBiome in the field of research and scientific outreach.
